Hanover School Division lays off 93 EAs due to funding mishap

The Hanover School Division is laying off almost a third of its EAs after an application for funding was sent to the wrong government office.

The division had been told in the summer by the regional office that its funding under Jordan’s Principle had been approved. Then the school division was informed in October that the funding applications had to be resubmitted. This led to a funding shortfall with the division laying off 93 educational assistants.

“Renewal applications for Jordan’s Principle funding were sent to the regional office for Indigenous Services Canada, which was the correct processing location…However, sometime in late summer early fall, responsibility for administering the funding shifted to the federal office of Indigenous Services Canada. This change was introduced without our knowledge. Upon submitting an invoice for expenses paid out in this school year, we were informed on Oct. 31 that the bill would not be paid and that we would need to resubmit our applications to the federal ISC office for review,” said superintendent Joe Thiessen.

“The reality is we’re greatly disappointed that we had to move in this direction…We had committed to over $1 million in EA salaries up until (the) time of layoff(s) and we really were left with no choice without secured funding.”

Jordan’s Principle makes sure all First Nations children can access the products, services and supports they need, when they need them, including access to education.

Indigenous Services Canada said in a statement that the applications are currently under review and that it is working to process the requests as quickly as possible.

Thiessen said once the funding is secured the school division will hire the EAs back. It currently has 246 EAs left who are working in the schools. When the re-application will be approved us unknown.

“We have no doubt that this will impact some families and schools (and) teachers and all that. That being said, we have full confidence in the dedication and professionalism of our staff to fill the gaps and meet the needs of our students.”

CLAC, the union that represents the EAs, is concerned about those that remain in the workplace and spreading them too thin.

“We will be working with the employer as much as possible to mitigate the negative impacts on those facing layoffs and on those still working to provide the critical supports to the students with the greatest needs,” stated CLAC regional director Geoff Dueck Thiessen in an email.

PC Education critic Grant Jackson thinks the province should have stepped in to cover the cost.

“The decision (regarding Jordan’s Principle) is that governments are no longer able to deny services. They are supposed to provide it and bicker later about who had to pay the bill and we know that’s not happening this case.”

A provincial spokesperson said the government had increased Hanover’s funding this year and will “continue to work with the school division to ensure students are supported.” The province increased Hanover’s funding by 7.1 percent earlier in the year.